Gas fueled cigar lighter



y 2, 1953 A. H. ARONSON GAS FUELED CIGAR LIGHTER Filed Jan. 4, 1950 III INVENTOR. ALEXANDER H.1-\2o-5o-.

4M1 em M ATTORNEYi Patented May 12, 1953 GAS FUELED CIGAR LIGHTER Alexander H. Aronson, South Orange, N. .L, as- Signor to Ronson Art Metal Works, Inc., Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 4, 1950, Serial No. 136,798

3 Claims.

The invention relates to cigar lighters fueled by combustible gases such as butane or propane, and more particularly to lighters of the above character wherein a cap overlies the burner of the lighter when idle, and is moved to burner exposing position by actuation of a fingerpiece, when a light is desired, the flow of gas to the burner being automatically initiated and cut oil, and sparks produced, at the proper times, by actuation and release of the fingerpiece. In one of its aspects the invention relates particularly to the simple and effective sealing of the gas from escape while the lighter is idle, and in another aspect the invention relates to the maintenance of such a seal in case the fingerpieoe should be moved slightly from its idle position and remain part way open, so to speak, for an appreciable period without being fully moved to normal active position. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious and in part specifically referred to in the description hereinafter contained which, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, discloses certain preferred forms of lighters constructed to operate in accordance with the invention; the

disclosure however should be considered as mere- 1y illustrative of the principles of the invention, in its broader aspects. In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a side view, with certain parts appear ing in section, of a lighter constructed to operate in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to the upper left hand portion of Fig. 1, but showing a somewhat modified form of construction.

' Referring first to Fig. 1, the invention is illustrated as applied to a lighter having a casing I, having a chamber 2 constructed to hold under pressure, a supply of gaseous fuel such as butane or propane. For present purposes it is immaterial whether the chamber 2 be understood as provided directly within the casing l, or within a separate container (not shown) which may be removed irom within casing i when the fuel supply therein is exhausted. The form of lighter shown in Fig. l is provided with a burner structure comprising a fitting 3 located at the top wall 4 of the casing and provided with a fuel passageway 5 which should be understood as being in communication with the chamber 2 at its inner end, and

preferably there are interposed pressure reduc The form-of lighter illustrated in-Fig. 1 isa-lso shown as having a cap 6, sparking wheel'l, and a fingerpiece 8, mounted in a row along the top of wall 4 of easing l. The cap 6 and sparking Wheel I may be understood as mounted for angu lar movement about the spindle 9 supported between ears It extending up from the top wall t of the casing, in such manner that the cap 6 will swing between the position shown in Fig. l in which it covers the mouth of the fuel passageway 5, to an open position displaced about clockwise from the position shown, to expose the fuel passageway. The fingerpiece 8 should be understood as movable between the idle position shown in Fig. l, to an active, depressed position wherein the cap 6 is moved to fuel passageway exposing position as above described, and during this same movement of the fingerpiece 8, the sparking wheel 7 is rotated to project sparks into a stream of gas issuing from passageway 5. For example the fingerpiece 8 may be provided with a reciprocable plunger I0 against which a compression spring i i acts to urge the fingerpiece toward the idle position shown in Fig. 1, and teeth [2 on the fingerpiece may be understood as meshing with complementary teeth i3 fixed with respect to the cap 8, in such manner that when the fingerpiece is manually depressed. the cap 6 swings to open position as above described, and when manual pressure on fingerpiece 8 is released, the cap it swings to the fuel passageway covering position shown in Fig. 1. An appropriate form of pawl and ratchet construction (not illustrated or described in detail since usable forms thereoi are known in-the art) will also be understood as interposed between the cap 5 and the sparking wheel 7, in such manner that the sparking. Wheel rotates to project sparks into the stream of fuel issuing from fuel passageway 5, during the movement of 'fingerpiece it from idle to active position, this pawl and ratchet mechanism allowing the sparking wheel "I to remain stationary while the fingerpiecc is moving "from active position back to the idle position shown in Fig. I. It will be understood that a piece of sparking metal M is appropriately pressed against the sparking wheel 7, and the structural features above referred to will not be described in further detail since appropriate forms thereof are known in the art.

In accordance with the present invention I interpose between the cap 6 and the fuel passage way a fuel passageway closure member 85, which is moved into position to seal oil the flow of fuel throughpassagew ay 5, as the cap 6 moves into the fuel passageway covering position shown in Fig. 1 and which, when the lighter is idle, is pressed into sealing position by the spring II, and also by an auxiliary spring I6 which is somewhat weaker than the spring I I, in such manner that when the operating parts of the lighter are in the idle position shown in Fig. 1, the spring I6 is somewhat more compressed, the closure member I5 being thereby pushed inwardly somewhat into the chamber I'I within cap 6 which receives it. Preferably the closure member I5 is in the form of a ball loosely received within the annular wall I8 which encloses chamber H, the ball I5 being restrained from passing out of chamber H by the turned in annular rim I9 of wall I8. Thus when the pressure of spring II seats the ball I5 against the complementary spherically curved surface 26 at the mouth of fuel passageway 5, and the ball l5 moves inwardly into'chamber I! as above described, the ball I5 can shift sufficiently in any transverse direction with respect to the wall I8, to allow the ball to accommodate itself accurately to the surface 26 and thereby maintain a tight seal against the escape of gas through passageway 5, when the lighter is idle. In the idle position shown in Fig. 1, the spring II pushes the rim IQ of cap 6 downwardly until it engages with the upper surface of fitting 3, and the supplementary pressure of spring I6, holds the ball I5, which is then spaced upwardly within the rim I9, against the mouth of the fuel passageway 5.

Immediately when actuating pressure is applied to the fingerpiece 8, the rim I9 of snuifer 6 lifts from contact with the upper surface of fitting 3, but the closure member I5 remains in sealing contact with the mouth of passageway 5 unless or until the cap 6 moves upwardly far enough to allow the spring I6 to push the ball I5 downwardly into engagement with the rim I9. Therefore if the fingerpiece 8 be depressed only slightly from the position shown in Fig. 1 under circumstances where a light is not immediately desired, as sometimes happens in service, the closure member I5 will still remain sealed and thereby prevent any excess of gaseous fuel from building up around the mouth of the passageway 5, which excess of fuel might otherwise produce a flame of undue size if the fingerpiece 8 be then fully depressed to produce a light.

On the other hand, if the fingerpiece be immediately and fully depressed from idle to active position, the above mentioned delay in the opening of the closure member I5 will not be sufficient to interfere with reliable ignition of the gas, since the cap 6 will swing the closure member I5 clear of the mouth of the burner while the wheel "i is still being rotated to produce an ample supply of sparks. The flame persists as long as thefingerpiece is manually held in active position, and when released, the cap 6 and closure member I6, swing downwardly under the action of spring II to snuff out the flame and seal the mouth of fuel passageway 5 as above described.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a somewhat modified construction wherein the closure member I5, instead of directly sealing off the flow of gas, acts through the medium of an interposed auxiliary valve member. As shown in Fig. 2 the fitting 3a is provided with an internal chamber 2I in which a valve member 22 is loosely received, this valve member having a stem 23 which projects upwardly through the mouth 24 of the fuel passageway to a point where the stem 23 is engageable with the closure member I5. When the parts are in the idle position shown in Fig. 2, the valve member 22 is held by the pressure of spring I6 against the annular seat 25 which surrounds the fuel passageway 26. If the cap 6 lifts only a slight amount, the valve 22 will still be held closed by the pressure of spring I6 acting through the ball I5, but if the fingerpiece I8 is actuated through its full light producing stroke, this pressure on valve 22 will be released fairly early in the stroke, and the gaseous pressure in passageway 26 will be sufficient to lift the valve 22 to open position, and permit the fuel to flow around a it through the mouth 24 of the fuel passageway,

to be ignited as it issues from the burner.

While the invention has been disclosed as carried out by the above described specific forms of lighter, it should be understood that changes may be made therein without departing from ,the invention in its broader aspects, within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A gas fueled lighter of the character described, including a casing having therein a chamber constructed to hold gaseous fuel under pressure, a burner structure having a fuel passageway leading to a point adjacent the exterior of said casing, said casing also carrying a cap mounted to swing between positions wherein it respectively overlies and exposes said fuel passageway, said burner structure carrying a fuel valve member mounted to move between an inner position in which said passageway is closed and an outer position in which said fuel passageway is open, said cap having a closure member thereon engageable with said fuel valve member when said cap is in burner overlying position to hold the fuel valve member in passageway closing position, spring means urging said closure member away from said cap and in fuel valve member engaging direction, said closure member being limited in its movement in said direction whereby said closure member holds said fuel valve member in passageway closing position during the initial part of the movement of said cap from burner overlying toward burner exposing position and releases said fuel valve member in burner exposing position, said lighter having means activated during movement of said cap from burner overlying to burner exposing position to ignite gaseous fuel issuing from said burner.

2. A gas fueled lighter of the character described, including a casing having therein a chamber constructed to hold gaseous fuel under pressure, a burner structure having a fuel passageway leading to a point adjacent the exterior of said casing, said casing also carrying a cap mounted to swing between positions wherein it respectively overlies and exposes said fuel passageway, spring means urging said cap toward its burner overlying position, said burner structure carrying a fuel valve member mounted to move between an inner position in which said passageway is closed and an outer position in which said fuel passageway is open, the said cap carrying a closure member engageable with said fuel valve member when said cap is in burner overlying position to hold the fuel valve member in passageway closing position, said cap also carrying a further spring acting between said closure member and said cap to urge said closure member toward fuel valve member engaging position and means limiting the movement of said closure member with respect to said cap whereby said closure member holds said fuel valve member in passageway closing position during the initial part of the movement of said cap from burner overlying toward burner exposing position and is disengaged from said fuel valve member in burner exposing position, said lighter having means activated during movement of said cap from burner overlying to burner exposing position to ignite gaseous fuel issuing from said burner.

A gas fueled lighterof the character described, including a casing having therein a chamber constructed to hold gaseous fuel under pressure, a burner structure having a fuel passageway leading to a point adjacent the exterior of said casing, said casing also carrying a cap mounted to swing between positions wherein it respectively overlies and exposes said fuel passageway, said casing also carrying a fingerpiece mounted to move between idle and active positions, means coupling said fingerpiece to said cap to move the latter from fuel passageway overlying to fuel passageway exposing position as the fingerpiece moves from idle to active position, spring means urging said fingerpiece and said. cap respectively towards their idle and. fuel passageway overlying positions; said burner structure carrying a fuel valve member mounted to move between an inner position in which said passageway is closed and an outer position in which said pasageway is open, said cap carrying a closure member engageable with said fuel valve member when said cap is in burner overlying position to hold the fuel valve member in passageway closing position, said cap also carrying a spring acting between said closure member and said cap to hold said closure member in fuel valve member closing position until said cap has moved partially from burner overlying toward burner exposing position and means on said cap limiting the movement of said closure member away from said cap to disengage said closure member from said fuel valve member when said'cap is in burner exposing position, said lighter having means activated upon movement of said fingerpiece from idle toward active position for igniting gaseous fuel issuing from said burner.

ALEXANDER H. ARONSON.

7 References Cited the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,515,733 Quercia et a1. July 18, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 317,283 Great Britain Aug. 15, 1929 774,813 France Oct. 1, 1934 787,706 France July 8, 1935 

